Tony Hillerman
I recently discovered Hillerman’s wonderful writing. This is no great feat. Somehow I managed to be completely unaware of him, despite his 114 titles in the library. Hillerman writes tight, intense murder mysteries set in New Mexico and Arizona. His characters are tribal police and local law enforcement working hundreds of miles of sparsely populated and very inhospitable land. Drawing from an immense amount of knowledge about modern-day Hopi, Navajo, Dinee and other tribal customs, combined with rich details on the Anasazi and other tribes, Hillerman’s books are a combination of history, sociology and archeology lessons, all wrapped around excellent plots.